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OVERVIEW

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Brief Synopsis

In the summer of 1914, when over 100,000 soldiers are serving in the U.S. Army, and while aircraft are being tested for military purposes, the "Hesitation Canter," a dance similar to the "Turkey Trot," is gaining popularity on America's dance floors. Although Americans learned in June that Austria had declared war on Serbia, and that country after country since then has been mobilizing for war, most of the nation does not appear to be bothered by the news. Some foreign-born Americans are directly affected by the war in Europe, however. Joe Kovacs, who lives in a small town, receives a letter from Austria requesting that he return to his fatherland to fight in the war. Joe bids farewell to his wife and his daughter Anna and quickly leaves for Austria. Following the German invasion of Belgium, a partisan argument erupts in the town, and a Belgian relief rally is organized. Meanwhile, Anna, unable to pay for her education, drops out of school. Suspicion of foreign-born nationals soon runs rampant in the town, and the Bensingers, a German American family, are believed to be German sympathizers. In 1915, following the German Zeppelin bombing of London and the sinking of the Lusitania , Americans march against the German Kaiser and meet with their Congressmen to discuss the developments in Europe and their implications. While a debate over American neutrality takes place, an elite military corps made up of young volunteers, called the Lafayette Escadrille, attracts many Americans who want to get involved in the war, including Edward Averill's son Walter. When Dora Bensinger and her daughter Hilda are suspected of being a spy family, they are asked to leave the ladies' bandage packing circle. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson is seen marching at the head of a war preparedness parade. That same year, Anna, now working at the hat check desk at a local dance hall, receives news of her father's death. Tensions mount in the country as news reaches Americans that a number of munititions plants in New Jersey have been exploded in apparent acts of sabotage. On 2 Apr 1917, President Wilson declares war and gives a speech dilineating his reasons for entering the war. Months after the Bensingers are told that their son will not be permitted to go overseas because of his father's nationality, the Germans concede defeat and an armistice is signed. The film concludes with a commentary on the need to remind Americans that a similar threat is brewing in the year 1940, this time with the menacing Adolph Hitler leading the German nation to war.